Abstract
Relevance: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 75-90% of primary liver malignancies and is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is standard treatment for intermediate-stage disease. The study aimed to evaluate the clinical and technical outcomes and short-term safety of transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated at a specialized center. Materials and Methods: This retrospective single-center study included 101 patients with HCC who underwent TACE at the A.N. Syzganov National Scientific Center of Surgery (Almaty, Kazakhstan) between 2023 and 2026. We used IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0 to analyze clinical, tumor, laboratory, procedural, and immediate outcome data. We used odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals to assess associations; we considered p < 0.05 significant. Results: The mean age was 63.8 ± 9.7 years, and 67.3% of patients were male. HCV infection was the most common underlying liver disease (53.5%). BCLC stage B disease was present in 64.4% and Child-Pugh class A liver function in 70.3%. Technical success was achieved in 99.0% of cases; mean procedure duration was 63.7 ± 24.8 minutes. After TACE, total bilirubin (p = 0.041), ALT, and AST (p < 0.001) increased significantly, whereas coagulation and renal function remained stable (p > 0.05). AFP > 400 ng/mL, PIVKA-II > 200 mAU/mL, multifocal liver involvement, and tumor size ≥ 5 cm were associated with more advanced tumor burden. Conclusion: TACE demonstrated high technical success and acceptable short-term safety. Elevated AFP and PIVKA-II levels, multifocal involvement, and tumor size ≥ 5 cm were associated with advanced disease. Because we did not assess objective response by mRECIST or long-term oncological outcomes, these findings primarily reflect technical and immediate outcomes.